The Wooing of Max
by vintage.soul494
Summary: Alec realizes that he needs to make Max fall in love with him. For the good of Terminal City of course. Companion piece to GIRL.
1. Shower of Flowers

AUTHOR'S NOTE: So this is the companion piece to GIRL, the letter G in my Dark Angel Alphabetically story, that I mentioned I might write. If you haven't read that you might want to, helps explain Alec's motivation, otherwise he'll seem kinds of out of character. I should be updating Alphabetically sometime today. I just had to get this out of my system first. :P

DISCLAIMER: Don't own it. le sigh.

Time, planning and research, five whole days of it. Who would have thought that romancing a female could be so complicated? It was confusing as hell too, especially for Alec, who had only ever had to stand at the bar in Crash and wait for the females to come to him. It had taken some finagling on his part but eventually he'd managed to get enough time alone in the command center to do an Internet search. He'd come away with all the tools he thought he'd need to win Max over and get her away from Logan for good. For the good of Terminal City, of course.

Apparently Secret Admirers were popular among women. Something about the attention and mystery just did it for them according to one website, so he decided to start with that.

A bouquet of flowers ought to do the trick. But apparently, some bored ass fools, in the middle ages, decided that they should create a language using flowers. He didn't want to send the wrong message, so he had to pick and choose what to include very carefully, in the end he decided to send one type of flower a day along with a card explaining the meaning. That was romantic right?

He started with white violets. Funny how his contacts were all the wrong kind to help him get a hold of this sort of thing. In the end he'd had to find a florist, not an easy task in these post pulse days. But he had gotten his contacts to help him get his own computer so he wouldn't have to sneak into command if he needed more tips.

He struggled with the note, a part of him just wanted to thrust the flowers, which the florist had gather into a small bundle and tied with a white ribbon, and say "Here," and walk away, but that was a big no, no according to the research. Four hours, it had taken him four damn hours to write a freaking note, and another web search to teach him the calligraphy he used to disguise his handwriting. He gave himself a pat on the back for managing to get into Max's office without anyone noticing him. He left the flowers and note on the middle of her desk where she was sure to see them and then fled the scene of his crime.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Max noticed the smell as soon as she walked into her office. She'd walked in without looking where she was going, all her attention on the report in her hand, until she'd become aware of the scent that was perfuming the air. She looked up in confusion, eyes darting around the room hunting for the source. Spotting the small bundle of delicate white blossoms, her eyes lit up and she smiled for what felt like the first time in days. Leave it to Logan to do something so sweet for her. She sat down in her chair and grabbed the card that lay beside the flowers.

Opening it, she took a moment to enjoy the beautiful calligraphy before reading the words.

_Long ago and far away a language was invented. A way to pass secret messages to the ones you loved without ever saying a word. A language of flowers, used to convey a myriad of emotions. White violets, it was decided, would mean, "Let's take a chance." I am asking you to take a chance, a chance at love._

_Your Secret Admirer_

She dropped the thick velum card back onto her desk. She knew that the flowers couldn't be from Logan. It wasn't his style. Who on earth could they be from? She stayed at her desk, lost in thought, until Dix came to get her two hours later for the morning meeting.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The next day dawned and she found another bundle of flowers on her desk, along with another note. She'd had a dream that they would be there and found herself rushing to get ready, wanting to get to her office early, hoping she was right, anxious to read the note that would accompany the bouquet.

This bundle looked a lot like the first, violets again, but blue this time. She lifted the card with trembling hands and smiled at the words she found.

_Blue violets say, "I'll always be true." They promise that I will be faithful, forever, to you. I'll stand by your side or remain in the shadows, with a heart that might be broken or torn and in tatters. All that is mine I give to you. From the moment we met, my heart belonged to you._

_Your Secret Admirer_

Picking up the phone, she found herself doing what any normal girl would do. She called her best friend to talk excitedly about her secret admirer, and try and guess who it could be.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Day three and Max's excitement was growing with every step she took toward the Command Center. She was giddy, in a rare good mood and the spring in her step and the smile on her face seemed to be infectious. Even Mole found himself whistling happily around his ever-present cigar as he went about his work.

Sitting on her desk that day was a large bouquet of red tulips. It was bright and bold, the simple beauty of it making her grin even wider. The other two sets of flowers had been small and delicate, pretty in a quiet kind of way but these tulips screamed for attention.

_Today the words of the flowers are as simple as can be. They ask that you trust me. They beg you to believe in me._

_Your Secret Admirer_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Roses, Max realized as soon as she walked into her office on the fourth day. The scent hung heavy in the air like a heady perfume. They were yellow, not a bright sunny shade, but a soft shade, like filtered sunlight. They brightened her office the way that nothing else had to date. Terminal City was their home but it was still a dreary sort of place, beauty was an unexpected but pleasant surprise when found.

_Yellow roses speak of the friendship between me and you, the sort of foundation that exists in all loves most true. Short and sweet, and right to the point, I want you to know, that I need you._

_Your Secret Admirer_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

It hadn't taken long for word to spread through the city about Max's secret admirer. It had most of the female population sighing and wishing for a romance like that in their lives. It had most of the males grumbling angrily because they knew that the women were about to start holding them to a different standard.

It took longer for the word to spread that Max's admirer wasn't Logan. Most had just assumed that it was the ordinary but those assumptions were effectively nipped in the bud by the very public fight the two had.

Logan had heard about the flowers, not from Max but from Original Cindy, who thought that he was the one doing this for Max. He had made his way into Terminal City through the tunnel that connected his new place to a warehouse just inside the gates. He'd moved quickly, exoskeleton whirring quietly with each step. He was hurt that Max hadn't told him about this herself and he was determined to find out why she hadn't said anything.

He caught her as she was exiting the Command building, a dozen yellow roses clasped in her hands, her noses buried deep in the petals obviously enjoying the scent.

"Max…" He began in that reproachful, vaguely disappointed way that always seemed to get her to agree to whatever issue he was pushing at the time.

She looked up startled, clearly she hadn't even noticed he was there. "Oh, hey you." She replied with a grin and it irked him that she looked happier than she had since she'd come back from Manticore. It grated that it wasn't him that had put that smile on her face but not nearly as much as the fact that she didn't seem to notice the tone he'd used.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were being bothered by some idiot?" He asked, letting more disapproval seep into his tone.

She looked surprised, "Bothered? What do you mean? Someone has been really sweet, leaving me flowers and notes."

He looked at her with what he was sure what just the right amount of hurt. "You're enjoying the attention, I can understand how that would appeal to you." He said sadly, making sure to sound a little tired. "I know that the virus has been keeping us apart Max but please, don't give up on us just because we've hit a bump in the road, don't get taken in by this pathetic ploy."

The way she looked at him, like he'd somehow offended her, had him confused. Why wasn't she responding the way she was supposed to.

Max was genuinely upset; every word out of Logan's mouth seemed to be a blatant attempt to make her feel guilty. Maybe he was trying to maneuver her into telling off her admirer or maybe he was trying make her feel guilty for liking the fact that someone other than the great Eyes Only was making her feel like a normal girl. After all her Secret Admirer seemed to be putting a lot of effort into revealing his feeling and into making her happy, when the best Logan could come up with was a pasta dinner and some wine.

"Why are you here?" She asked in exasperation.

"I wanted to go over your plan for the medical supply heist. Make sure that you've accounted for everything." He told her as though it should be obvious.

"It's Alec and Mole's plan and I've already gone over it and approved it." She informed him impatiently.

"Come on Max." He said and for the first time she noticed the condescension in the way he was speaking to her. "You know that Alec is a screw up. How could you possibly trust that any plan he's come up with will work?"

Max went from irritated to furious in a heartbeat. "I can trust any plan that he comes up with because of his extensive military training. Because of the way that he always has my back and because of the way he has earned my respect." She informed him coldly. "He is my second in command and you have no right to question his ability or his decisions. Go home Logan." She ordered, before spinning on her heel and storming away. Any happiness she'd felt was gone, the bitch was back. It made the general dislike and contempt that many felt for Logan grow just a bit more.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

When Max came into her office the next day she found a type of flower that she'd never seen before waiting on her desk. It was red like the tulips she'd gotten but the similarities ended there. It was a long stem, with sword shaped leaves and had several irregularly spaced blooms arranged in one-sided spikes. It was an odd flower, strong and unusual. It was by far, her favorite of all the ones she'd been given so far. It actually managed to coax a smile back onto her face, which had been thunderous since her encounter with Logan.

She picked up the card, suddenly anxious to read what her admirer had written, knowing somehow that it would erase the bad mood she had sunken into.

_This is a gladiola; some call it a sword lily. It speaks of strength of character, something you have in abundance. You care deeply and strive to protect and provide for all of those around you. That was one of the first things that I recognized about you and it fostered in me admiration and affection, which morphed into friendship then passion and finally love._

_Your Secret Admirer_

The words brought tears to her eyes. Logan's words had made her doubt herself but these words made her proud to be exactly who she was and what she was.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Max didn't make it into her office until well past noon on the sixth day. She'd been busy overseeing the medical heist that she'd argued with Logan about. It had gone off without a hitch and even though she knew it was a little petty, she found herself wanting to rub it into his face.

The single lavender rose that laid in the middle of her desk came as a pleasant surprise, she'd been too busy to think about her secret admirer but apparently he hadn't been too busy to think of her. It warmed her in a way that nothing else ever had.

_In the language of flowers, lavender roses have one meaning. Enchantment. Your fire, your zest for life, you enchant me. I love seeing the passion in your eyes, whether its from anger or determination. You enchant and entrance me. My life would be gray and dull without your light to brighten my day._

_Your Secret Admirer_

She found herself reaching for the phone again to call O.C. Not knowing who was behind these words, which meant more to her than the flowers themselves, was driving her crazy. She hoped that he would reveal himself soon before she lost her patience and decided to find out who he was for herself.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The seventh day of Alec's mission to woo Max was one of those sun filled days that were so rare in Seattle. By now there wasn't a single resident of Terminal City that didn't know about the flowers and cards that Max was receiving. Bets were being made everywhere as to who was behind the gifts. He was a little offended that no one seemed to consider the possibility of him as the source.

He was congratulating himself on a job well done now that phase one of his plan was almost done. He'd already started getting phase two together. It was quite a bit different than showering her with flowers but he wanted to keep her on her toes.

He'd placed the flowers in Max's office earlier that morning but todays were by far his favorite. He made a point of striking up a conversation as soon as she walked into command so that he'd have an excuse to enter her office with her. He wanted to see her reaction.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

No matter how hard Max hinted that Alec should go away, he didn't seem to take the hint. She was hoping to get into her office and see what, if anything, her admirer had left for her. She wanted to do it in privacy, since she didn't want him to make fun of her for being such a girl about it but it looked like there was no getting rid of him. Resigning herself she just rolled her eyes and walked into the office.

On the middle of her desk, where he'd placed all the other flowers, sat a plant in a beautiful blue glazed pot. She thought the flowers were called primrose. They smelled heavenly.

She sat down at her desk, ignoring every word that was coming out of Alec's mouth, to pick up the note and read what he had written.

_A flower once picked begins to die. No matter how carefully you tend it, it will wilt and fade. A plant is different though, if you water it and make sure it gets some sunshine, it will flourish. It can't live without you and the care you give it. In the language of flowers, primroses mean: I can't live without you. You are the half of my soul that I never knew was missing until I found you. I can't imagine my life without you, it wouldn't be worth living without your smile._

_Your Secret Admirer_

Max collapsed back in her chair, a goofy grin firmly in place. She no longer cared if Alec saw her reaction, she felt giddy as a schoolgirl and she liked it damn it.


	2. Wash away your worries

DISCLAIMER: The characters and the world they live in don't belong to me. I wrote this for fun not for profit.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Phase 3 is already in the works and I should be updating in a couple of days. :) I'm working on K & L of Dark Angel Alphabetically as we speak, for those of you that are reading both stories. If you're interested in knowing what songs I had in mind for the mp3 player let me know and I'll send you a list. :) I've got a couple of new stories up my sleeve too, just so y'all know. :)

OOOOOOOOOO

O.C. had known from the moment she mentioned Max's whole Secret Admirer dealio to Logan that she'd really stuck her foot in it. Clearly it wasn't Roller Boy tryin' to romance her boo, not if the way he took off down the tunnel was any indication. Didn't take a rocket scientist or a genetically engineered piece of perfection to figure out who that left either, Alec. Had to be. Anyone with eyes, well except for Max, could see that the boy was ass over teakettle for the girl. Looked like he was finally steppin' up to the plate. Which meant that it was time for her to lay a little wisdom on the boy about the consequences of hurtin' her g

OOOOOOOOOO

Alec was on his hands and knees scrubbing the floor in the kitchen of the Terminal City apartment Max had claimed. Manticore had some pretty stringent standards when it came to room inspections so it wasn't like he didn't know how to clean, didn't mean it was something that he liked though. So why was he doing it again, cleaning Max's place from top to bottom? Oh yeah, phase two, that's right. He couldn't help but roll his eyes. According to both the research he'd done and the talk he'd had with O.C. doing chores for a woman was very romantic. It sucked pretty hard if you asked him but he was willing to do whatever it took to win Max over. He had to get her away from Logan. For the good of Terminal City, he reminded himself forcefully.

He'd gotten O.C. to take care of all of Max's laundry. She might have appreciated having someone cleaning her place but there was no doubt in his mind that he'd be in for an ass kicking if she found out he'd washed and folded her panties. It was nice to have someone else in on his plan, especially a woman that he could bounce ideas off of.

Finally satisfied with the floor he stood up and wiped the sweat off his forehead with his forearm. Peeling his tee shirt off he tucked it into his back pocket before heading into the bathroom. He'd managed to get a hold of a hot water heater. Not an easy task to smuggle the big bulky thing into T.C. without anyone seeing it but that had been cake compared to hooking it up at Max's without giving himself away. He'd run the bath a while ago, letting the water heat to boiling hot so that it would cool to a comfortable temperature by the time Max got home. He'd bought all the things that Cindy swore Max would need. A razor, shaving cream, moisturizing body wash, the list went on and on and arranged it on a special caddy that laid across the bath.

He gave the room another once over; the tub was full, steam rising from the water. Scented bubbles were piled high and scattered with rose petals in a rainbow of colors. Scented candles were lit and disbursed throughout the room. There was a bottle of wine chilling by the side of the tub on a small wooden table he dragged in. Along with a glass to drink the wine from he placed a box of chocolates, and a book that Cindy assured him Max would enjoy, and an mp3 player he'd loaded with music that he'd carefully chosen. And finally, at this point it seemed to be becoming obligatory, a note.

A glance at his watch told him that Max would be back any minute and he grabbed his jacket and left quickly, the last thing he wanted was to be caught. He wasn't ready for Max to find out he was behind this yet. He wanted to wait until he was sure he won her over. If he revealed himself too soon, she'd get pissed on the principle of things, and beat the crap out of him. Again.

Normally he would have worried about leaving his scent lingering in her apartment but the smell of the cleaning supplies, bubbles, and candles, were all working in his favor to cover up his tracks.

He headed home to wait for Original Cindy to call. She promised to fill him in on Max's reaction.

OOOOOOOOOO

Running a nation, Max decided as she trudged up the stairs, was a pain in the ass. She was convinced that the only thing that was allowing her to keep on top of all the problems and concerns was the abundance of shark DNA in her cocktail. She was still damn tired, though even if she didn't need to sleep and all she wanted to do was relax.

Opening the door to her apartment, she noticed something was up before the door had even swung all the way open. Looking around she found her apartment spotless. She wasn't a messy person but she'd let the apartment go lately. She came home long enough to bathe, change clothes and occasionally nap. She didn't hang around long enough to really clean but the apartment was almost sparkling it was so clean. The pile of dirty laundry she'd left in the corner was gone, she noted with a frown.

Stepping further into the apartment, she noticed that the bathroom door was open and she could see flickering shadows indicating candlelight. The corners of her mouth were tugged up in an involuntary grin as she started to suspect what she might find in there and who might be behind it.

Her suspicions didn't prepare her for what she found though. It was like the ultimate girly experience, just the sort of thing she'd been craving to help her relax, and she hadn't had to do any of the work to set it up.

She stripped quickly, taking care to fold her clothes neatly and set them aside. She didn't want to mess up the carefully cleaned apartment. Stepping tentatively into the water she let out a groan of pleasure when she found it the perfect temperature. Grinning like a fool, she poured herself a glass of wine and picked up the note she found under the glass. The thick velum told her that her guess as to who was behind this was correct.

_Consider this a thank you for all the hard work that you do. The apartment is clean, the laundry is done, and you have no excuse not to relax. Enjoy._

_Your Secret Admirer_

P.S. There's a pint of your favorite ice cream in the freezer waiting for you when you finish your bath.

She let out a happy sigh and leaned back, letting the hot water sooth the tension in her muscles away.

Reaching out blindly with one hand she grabbed the mp3 player. She had a feeling the music would bring an even bigger smile to her face and it did. It was eclectic and romantic. In other words it was perfect. She saved the book for later, wanting to listen closely the lyrics instead. Her secret admirer had put a lot of thought into the flowers and the meaning behind them; she doubted he'd done any less with the music he'd picked for her.


	3. Words of Love

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement was intended.

.¸¸.·´¨»«´¨·. ¸¸.

The fact that Max had almost caught him had thrown Alec for a loop and he was still kicking himself ten minutes later when he finally escaped to his office. He'd been trained as an assassin damn it, he should be better at the sneak and creep than this. At least she'd bought his lie about having found the calligraphy covered note card while searching her desk for some paperwork. Phase three was saved, Max still didn't suspect him. Although that did prick his pride some. He couldn't help but question why he'd never made anyone's list of suspects. Didn't anyone think he was capable of making romantic gestures?

Nah, he though, dismissing the idea. It had to be his reputation as a ladies man. They just couldn't picture him settling for one woman when there were so many fish in the sea. He'd questioned the decision more than once himself. Did he really want to give up this bachelor lifestyle? Would he really be content to wake up next to the same woman every morning? At first he'd told himself that it was what was best for Terminal City, that he'd make that sacrifice because it was for the benefit of all their kind. The simple act over overhearing a conversation had convinced him that wasn't his sole reason though and the jealousy he'd felt had cause a moment or two of panic.

He'd gone over to Gem's place because he'd heard she'd baked a pie and he was going to charm a piece out of her but as he made his way down the hall toward her door he'd heard Max's laughter ringing out of her apartment. It dragged a smile out of him. He crept up to the door and started eavesdropping shamelessly to the conversation going on inside.

He'd heard Cece say, "Jet?" and his Maxie had laughed again before gasping, "No! Could you picture him pouring over books about flowers?" Alec realized they were trying to guess the identity of Max's Secret Admirer. She had a point about Jet though, he thought. The guy could hardly sit still for the time it took to get a haircut, no way he'd be able to take the time to do research.

"Brant?" Gem suggested and all three women sighed dreamily. That particular X5 had been a prototype, designed for seduction. He excreted a pheromone that made him appealing to both sexes and even among the other X5's who were no slouches in the looks department, he stood out.

Alec realized he was glaring at the door hard enough to set the thing on fire using only the power of his mind. Well, if his mind had had the power to do that anyway. He'd never felt so angry in his entire life, he had an almost undeniable urge to hunt Brant down and beat him to a bloody, unattractive, pulp. The word, "MINE!" was echoing through his head on a seemingly endless loop. He recognized the jealousy for what it was and it shocked the hell out of him. He was ready to fight one of his brothers for a woman who wasn't even his just because she'd sighed over him.

He spun abruptly, pie forgotten, and was down the stairs in a flash. It was time to get phase three under way before Max had time to drool over any more possibilities.

.¸¸.·´¨»«´¨·. ¸¸.

Max sat at her desk and looked at the stack of note cards in her hands. They weren't anything elaborate like the flowers or the bath had been. Just a stack of twenty handwritten cards, each with a different quote about love.

Alec had found the first one on her desk that morning. She'd run across the other nineteen throughout the day. Whoever was doing this knew where she was going to be every minute of the day, which should have been sort of creepy and somehow wasn't. She'd found each of the cards when she was alone and except for the first one, she was the only one to run across them. That took time and planning and an intimate knowledge of her habits and routine. Spreading the cards out across her desk she took time to reread her favorite.

According to the card the quote was from someone named Pablo Neruda and it read, "I love you as one loves certain dark things, secretly, between the shadow and the soul." Her past was full of darkness, all of their pasts were. It only made sense that the love they'd find would be shadowed but undeniable as well.

She stifled a groan as she caught the whirring sound of Logan's exoskeleton moving down the hall. Whether or not her Secret Admirer turned out to be someone she could love, he'd certainly forced her to reexamine her relationship with Logan. Perfect transgenic memory allowed her to remember the exact details of every conversation they'd ever had. It made her wonder how much she really loved the Ordinary and how much of it was guilt for not having been there to save him the day he'd been shot. He'd been rude and condescending often during the time they'd known each other. She had told herself he was bitter over the loss of his legs and that he liked to think he was older and wiser. She'd made a lot of excuses for him and his behavior and suddenly she was finding herself a whole lot less tolerant.

Gathering up the cards, Max placed them in her desk drawer and then grabbed a stack of paperwork, doing her best to look busy when Logan came striding into the room. Making a bet with herself about the reason for his visit she was disappointed to find she'd been right on the money. Another Eyes Only mission needed his in house cat burglar.

Leaning back in her chair, she watched him through narrowed eyes. There was something appealing about how animated he became, talking about his latest crusade to save the world, she thought, but that feeling washed away as he continued to drone on and on.

"No." She said simply, when he finally paused for a breath.

His blue eyes widened in shock. "No? But Max its important that we take this guy down tonight, we can't keep letting him..."

Max cut him off abruptly. "No. I don't have time to deal with this Logan. I've got a city to run and people to protect. I'm sorry but the rest of the world will have to sort out its own problems."

Logan actually looked scandalized, like he couldn't believe that she would have the gall to turn him down. "Well if you don't have time to do it, order one of your people to go in your place." He suggested, obviously pleased with himself for coming up with that solution. He didn't seem to notice the fury that made her eyes sparkle or the tightening of her mouth.

"No." She told him again, not bothering to hide her anger.

"No? Why not?" He demanded.

"Because we are not your personal army Logan. We're not here to further your agenda. I'm not going to order anyone to go. I'm not going to bother to ask for volunteers either."

"Why not?" He demanded again, the slightest hint of a whine creeping into his voice.

"Because Logan, I've come to notice that most of my family doesn't like you. I'm not going to ask them to risk their lives for you when they can't stand you."

She watched as he processed that, thinking that he looked like a five year old on the verge of a temper tantrum. He reigned in his temper with obvious effort and she listened incredulously as he tried to first guilt her into going and then bully her when guilt didn't work.

.¸¸.·´¨»«´¨·. ¸¸.

Alec hung up the phone, pleased with the deal he'd just managed to broker with one of his contacts for a half dozen industrial sized water heaters and glanced up at the door as he heard the soft sound of footsteps moving closer. Mole didn't bother to knock but then he never did. He just threw open the door and sauntered in, chewing on his cigar looking disgruntled. Alec just raised an eyebrow and waited for him to start talking since he seemed to be debating with himself.

"The ordinary is back." Mole finally spat out. "He's in Max's office raising hell."

Alec felt the muscles around his mouth tighten. Mole was a master at understatement but if he was coming in just to tell him that Logan was in Max's office then Alec knew that Eyes Only was probably causing trouble.

"He asked her to go on one of his mission." Mole continued mildly. "She told him to shove it. He wanted her to order one of us to go in her place and she told him to stick it. Now he's trying to browbeat her into it." The lizard man chomped on his cigar some more. "I need more cigars." He said and then turned on his heel and left the room.

Alec was on his feet and moving toward Max's office without ever consciously making the decision to move. Even without transgenic hearing he could hear Logan badgering the leader of Freak Nation from half was across the building. The fact that hot tempered Max wasn't making a sound or arguing bad was a little worrying. Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself and walked into Max's office without pausing to knock. His entrance stopped Logan's verbal assault momentarily and Alec couldn't help tossing a cocky grin in Max's direction before throwing himself down onto her couch, stretching out to lay down, crossing his arms over his chest. "Don't mind me." He told Logan, who looked livid. "I'm just waiting for the show. I figure you've got about three minutes more tops, before she snaps and slaps the shit out of you. Man, I really need to get some popcorn. Don't supposed you'd be willing to pause long enough for me to hunt some down and pop it?"

Max was staring at Alec like he'd lost his mind. It took a second or two for his words to penetrate but when they did, she started to laugh. She laughed so hard, that she had to bury her head in her hands.

Logan was looking back and forth between the two of them, looking absolutely appalled. His anger building with every second. Here he was, trying to make the world a better place, asking them for help because he was a big enough person to admit that they had skills that he didn't and they were making fun of him. He took a step in Alec's direction, radiating about as much menace as a rabid squirrel but trying his best to be threatening, ready to tear into the other man verbally, knowing that Max's feelings for him would keep the transgenic from fighting back physically. He didn't see Max's head snap up or the way rage flooded her eyes, all humor draining away, leaving her rigid with anger. "Get out," she snarled and Logan felt a flood of triumph wash over him, thinking she was just as mad at Alec as he was. His illusions were shattered seconds later when he felt her small hand wrap around his bicep. "Get out, Logan. We are not your personal army. We are not here to serve the great Eyes Only. You don't get to speak to me like that and you certainly don't get to attack Alec when he's trying to diffuse the situation before you get hurt. GET OUT!" She was dragging him to the door, moving faster with every step until she reached the door and shoved him out, slamming the door in his face.

"Idiot." Alec pronounced, pretending to be oblivious to the death glare she was shotting at him. Folding his arms behind his head, he continued to lounge on her couch. "So Maxie, I've gotta say, I'm surprised at you. Usually you jump at the chance to help Roller Boy out. What's changed?"

"Get out Alec." She demanded, "Or I'm gonna kick your ass so hard you won't be able to sit for a month."

"Always with the ass Maxie. Unhealthy, that obsession of yours." He normally would have stayed to needle her some more but a glance at the clock told him that if he wanted to finish getting the final part of phase three ready, he'd have to get to work. "Later Maxie." He said, whistling a happy tune as he strolled out of her office. He couldn't help but think to himself that she was hot as hell, even when she was scowling at him like that.

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The drama with Logan, the irritation with Alec, it all added up to too much distraction and Max found herself staring into space more often than actually working on all the paperwork on her desk. She gave up with a sigh, pushing back from the desk. Pulling on her jacket, she headed for the door, ready to head home and just relax. She stopped dead in her tracks when she noticed another of the ever increasingly familiar note cards on the floor. Someone had managed to slide it under the door without her noticing. She frowned at it. It was sweet but she was sick of the mystery, she didn't have the patience to play these kinds of games. Bending at the waist she snatched it up off the floor. An invitation to dinner... maybe the mystery was about to be put to rest, she thought with a grin. She hurried out of the office. She needed to go home and get changed.

Author's Note: I know, crappy place to end it, but if I didn't the chapter would have been like 10-15 pages long. Next chapter...Yummy food and crazy suspicions.


	4. Confession and surprises

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement was intended.

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Max had hurried back to her tiny apartment to dress for dinner. Her choices were more limited than they'd once been. She'd given away most of her clothes when the siege had begun and she'd realized that there were so many trapped in Terminal City that had far less than she herself had. She still had several dresses that she'd used for Eyes Only missions, because really, strapless red satin evening wear, not the most practical apparel for a soldier. And maybe just a little over the top for a first date with a secret admirer, she decided. She felt like such a girl as she held outfit after outfit up and looked them over with a critical eye. Finally she settled on a simple black dress.

She hurried through a shower, a decided lack of hot water taking all the enjoyment out of it. Stepping out and drying off, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and her eyes narrowed. She grinned and hurried to her room, deciding to take Gem up on an offer she'd made awhile back.

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Alec wasn't much for fancy food the way that Logan was, he was more of a red meat and potatoes kind of guy. And he didn't know much about wine. Sure he could learn, but scotch and beer were really more his speed anyway. He figured that he should play to his strengths instead of trying the emulate Roller Boy. No pasta or bruschetta tonight. Steak, loaded potatoes, and salad with some fresh baked brown bread were on the menu instead. He'd had to watch a few cooking shows but he'd finally gotten a handle on the making of edible food. He even had the perfect place to serve it.

He'd been exploring a couple of days earlier and had come across an office on the top floor of a building that proclaimed itself to be the Synthadyne Corporation. The building itself was in worse disrepair than many of the other surrounding structures which is why it was empty at the moment. It would eventually get turned into apartments for the ever expanding population of Terminal City but not until it had been shored up some. The office was on the top floor and the entire south wall of the room was floor to ceiling widows, which surprisingly were intact. It offered a nice view of Seattle, with the Space Needle smack dab in the center, which he knew Maxie would appreciate.

He'd been smuggling things in ever since he'd found it. A small folding card table, a couple of chairs, a cream colored linen table cloth and burgundy napkins, silverware, enough candles to light a space twice that size, the list went on and on. He set up the table first, working in the relative darkness, because he didn't want the candlelight to draw unwanted attention. By the time he was done, the place looked pretty magical, if he did say so himself.

Hurrying back to his apartment he set to work cooking the meal he'd planned, placing it into covered containers and a bag so that he could carry it all over to the office. He paused long enough to change into a pair of loose fitting blue jeans and a white button down shirt before heading for the door. He'd rolled up the sleeves and left the top couple of buttons undone, trying to look casual but liked he'd put at least some effort into his appearance. He'd tucked a preprepared note card, his exit plan in case it looked like she wasn't receptive of him as a secret admirer, into his back pocket and one last glance around the apartment showed him that he hadn't forgotten anything.

He managed to make it over to Synthadyne without being spotted and after placing the food on the plates that waited on the table, he began to light the candles. He'd just finished lighting the last of them when he heard Max, walking down the hall towards him. He threw himself down onto one of the chairs and slouched, trying to look comfortable.

Looking up when she opened the door and walked into the room, he felt his breath catch in his throat. She'd literally taken his breath away. She looked beautiful in the simple black dress she had on but then she looked beautiful in anything. He suddenly realized that she'd cut her hair. It was tumbling around her face in a riot of curls that he found entrancing. He grinned wickedly at the pole axed expression on her face until he caught what he assumed was disappointment clouding her eyes. The grin slipped away as he tried to tell himself he didn't care but who was he kidding.

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The last person Max expected to see when she walked into that office was Alec but there he was, lounging on a chair, looking like he didn't have a care in the world. If she were going to be honest, Max would have to admit that her heart leaped at the sight of him, the idea that he might be her secret admirer thrilled her. She'd been thinking more and more about Alec for awhile now. A small part of her had been hoping it was him, unrealistic as she knew it to be. She remembered the conversation she'd had with Gem and Cece not long ago and it made common sense come rushing back in. Cece had been the one to suggest Alec might be behind the gifts but Gem had shot that idea down. After all, she reminded them, they all knew what a playa he was. It couldn't be him she knew so this must be some kind of mistake or set up. Maybe he knew the secret admirer and was here as an intermediary? The disappointment she felt shocked her. What was it Alec had said when they were rescuing the mermaid? Something about always wanting the ones he couldn't have. Too bad he didn't want her. Of course she wouldn't settle for being just another notch in his bedpost so maybe it was for the best.

She looked at him startled, realizing that he'd said something but she had no idea what. He must have known by the look in her eyes because he repeated himself.

"Thanks for inviting me to dinner Maxie. I know I'm hot but there's no need to wine and dine me. All you gotta do is ask. You know I'd be more than happy to relieve some of that tension." He said with a suggestive leer and a comical wiggle of his eyebrows.

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Ok, so he wasn't the world's greatest catch and he wasn't all sophisticated and money bags like Logan but did she have to look so damn disappointed to find him in here? He opened his mouth with every intention of telling her he was her secret admirer and letting her know that he could see that trying to change her feelings was useless but instead the words that came out were pure snark. Apparently he'd decided to fall back on plan two without consciously realizing it. She looked kinda cute standing there gaping at him but he decided to put her mind to rest. He pulled the note card out of his back pocket and tossed it onto the table.

_No one enjoys eating alone. Dinner 6pm, top floor Synthadyne building._

He could have sworn he saw a hint of hurt before her Manitcore mask came crashing down into place. "Good little transgenics never turn down free food but if its bugging you that much that I'm here I'll take off." he told her, far more gently than he normally would. He was relieved when she shook her head.

"Nah, the guy is right, no one likes to eat alone."

"So I guess this is part of that whole secret admirer deal you've got going on?" He asked her, figuring he might as well do a little probing see what she was thinking about things so far. "Like those flowers and that card I found?"

She nodded but she looked a little glum. Until she lifted the silver dome that cover her plate that is. She couldn't help but grin at the feast underneath. She liked the food that Logan cooked but sometimes a girl just wanted red meat.

"You think that looks good? Look what I found." Alec reached under the table and with a grin pulled out a couple of frosted mugs and a pitcher of beer.

Beer was not something it was easy to get ahold of here, and it was hardly a priority on the supply runs they put together. He'd missed being able to head to Crash at the end of a long day and taking turns with the others buying pitcher after pitcher until they were all relaxed and he knew Maxie had too.

They began to eat in silence, enjoying the food. Eventually though, Alec decided it was time to start trying to get some answers out of Max.

"So, this is pretty cool. Must be nice having someone go through all the trouble for you." He said and congratulated himself on picking a good opening comment.

"Its nice enough," Max said, not bothering to look up from her plate. "But the mystery is getting a little old. I don't understand why the guy doesn't just step forward and drop with all the pretense."

Alec shrugged and pretended to think about it. "Maybe he's afraid of rejection? Manticore wasn't big on emotions or relationships, its probably hard for the guy to work up the nerve to tell you who he is. It'd suck to put yourself out there and then get shot down, don't you think?"

She thought about what he was saying and had to admit that it did make sense. "I guess but the longer it goes on the more it makes me wonder why they're hiding."

"There's the fact that you're still with Logan." He told her hurriedly. "Which I sort of want to talk to you about but I don't want to get my ass kicked. I'd rather enjoy my food without a side of pain."

Max sighed and finally glanced up briefly at him. "Talk away, no violence tonight without monumental stupidity on your part as a provocation."

"Your relationship with Logan is putting you on rocky footing as a leader." He told her, taking her at her word. "You know Logan's not my cup of tea but I don't really have anything against the guy. There are a lot of others that don't feel the same though. They see you turning to this ordinary for help or just for advice instead of them and it makes them wonder if you aren't alpha enough to lead them. Plus most of them don't have the best history with ordinaries because of the guards, the medical staff, the handlers." He paused and watched her for signs of anger, waiting to see if his words would sink in before she exploded. It sort of shocked him when she started to nod.

"Can I tell you something?" She asked him.

"No," he replied, just so he could enjoy the look on her face when her eyes flew up to meet his. "Gotcha." he continued grinning and loving the fact that she smile back, even if it was a very small smile.

"I..." She stopped and Alec could tell that she was unsure whether she really wanted to trust him with whatever she was about to say. "I'm starting to not be able to stand him." The words came out in a rush, as though she was ashamed to be saying them. "I know that its my fault that he got shot and that I'm the reason you get to call him roller boy but god, he's so condescending! How did I not see it before?"

"What do you mean its your fault?" He asked and he had the feeling that this was weighing even more on her than Ben's death. He tried to be objective as he listened to her as she explained but found himself snorting.

"Maxie, be honest. Would Logan have been there that day if the two of you hadn't met?"

"Yeah." She said and she didn't even have to think about the answer.

"So you're blaming yourself for not going, just cuz you had the misfortune to get caught trying to swipe some of his stuff, when he would have gone anyway, that makes sense to you?" He tried to sound reasonable but he knew the fact that he found her logic crazy crept into his tone. "He's a grown man Maxie, he chose the life he leads, any consequences are a result of that choice."

Max wanted to lash out at him, anger was her first response to most things these days. But she forced herself to remember her promise and to think about what he'd said and it struck her that he was right. Sometimes she felt like she'd lived more than most people did in a hundred lifetimes but the truth was that Logan was older than her, more worldly, and he'd walked into the Eyes Only gig with his eyes wide open. He'd seen friends hurt and killed for trying to tell the truth about the police during the riots after the Pulse, he had to know it could happen to him. He'd known the risks, probably better than she and her siblings had when they'd busted out of Manticore. They'd all made their beds and they'd all had to lie in them.

Alec heard the words he'd never expected to hear pass her lips. "You're right." It was said with sadness but with a firmness that told him that she really believed it.

"Of course I am. I'm always right." He winked at her, doing his best to lighten the mood and he knew it worked when she rolled her eyes.

"Who do you want it to be?" He asked abruptly, truly curious about whether there were any X's that she was interested in. Of course that didn't stop him from chanting _Not Brant Not Brant Not Brant_ in his head.

She shrugged, "I don't know. I've talked about it with Cece and Gem and O.C. I can't imagine any of the guys I've met going through all of this trouble. There's only one guy that I've got any interest in and he's not the type."

Alec was cussing to himself after hearing that. He knew she had to be talking about Brant but the masochist he was he couldn't stop himself from asking her what she meant about the guy not being the type.

She shrugged again, staring out the window at the Space Needle, seemingly lost in thought. "He's just kind of a tom cat ya know? Doesn't seem like the type that would be interested in settling down anytime soon."

"Like me." He said, watching closely for her reaction. He wasn't sure what to make of the slight blush that settle onto her cheeks.

"Yeah, like you."

"I don't know Maxie. He might surprise you. I was talking to Asha awhile back and I told her that if I found the right woman I'd tell her I loved her, if I wanted her, I'd tell her straight up."

Max seemed to be thinking really hard about what he'd just said and he could almost pinpoint the exact moment she came to a decision, it didn't lessen his shock when she leaned forward and looked into his eyes though.

"So you think if I'm interested in this guy I should just tell him?" She asked, voice husky with emotion and he found himself nodded soundlessly only to feel his heart break as she stood abruptly. He was sure that she was going to take off out of there and go after Brant and it was killing him. But she started pacing, obviously trying to talk herself into or out of something. He'd started to get dizzy when she stopped suddenly and walked over to him. She bent down, getting right in his face and his instinctual reaction was to cringe just a little. Maxie getting up close and personal with him like this usually ended with him in pain.

He felt her grab the collar of his shirt in her fists and braced himself for the ass kicking he was sure was soon to follow. When her lips crashed down onto his, he probably looked like a deer caught in the headlights, it took a few seconds but he was kissing her back, his hands sliding up her back and into her thick curls, fisting there among the silky strands, trying to hold her in place, never wanting this feeling to end.

When they had to come up for air, he stared at her, still stunned.

"What about your secret admirer?" He asked.

"Shut up Pretty Boy." She replied. "I know its you."

"How?" He asked, slightly miffed, because he thought he'd done a damn good job of covering his tracks.

She just laughed "Even now I can't get you to shut up." she said before straddling his legs and kissing him again.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I think there'll probably be one more chapter, possibly two, to tie up the loose ends, like Logan. ;)


	5. Hearts broken and mended

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement was intended.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: So my computer died. Not chance of resurrection either. I'd cry but I'm too tired. A bunch of my story ideas, chapters, and notes, gone for good. The god of technology has it out for me.

AUTHOR'S NOTE 2:This chapter is pretty short but its not the end. ;) Next chapter we get to see what happens when Max tells Logan the news and how Alec reacts to the things Logan has to say to her.

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Max was kissing him. Max was straddling his lap and kissing him, her fingers toying with the hair at the back of his neck and he wasn't shutting up. He'd never admit it but he was nervous as hell. The woman of his dreams, of many nights of hot fantasies followed by mornings of icy showers, had apparently chosen him and he was babbling, even after she'd teased him about not shutting up.

"But...what about Brant?" He found himself asking, the words followed swiftly by a strong desire to kick his own ass. That's it Alec, remind her of the guy you were just praying she didn't have feelings for. Fanfuckintastic idea. Idiot.

Max pulled back from where she'd been placing feather light kisses on the side of his neck to look at him in confusion. "Who?"

"Brant..." He said, even as the voice, the logical, intelligent voice that apparently had no control over his mouth whatsoever, in his head was screaming profanities at him and his stupidity. Note to self, he thought, buy filter to fit between brain and mouth.

"What does Brant..." Max's voice trailed off and her eyes widened with realization and her mouth formed a silent, "Oh," right before she slapped him, hard, on the arm. "You were eavesdropping!" Only to hit him again when his sheepish look confirmed her suspicions.

He steeled himself for her anger, sure that she was about to explode over his actions. If she hadn't been sitting on his lap, shock would have caused him to fall out of his chair at the sound of her peals of laughter. Okay, he didn't know why she was laughing but when she started pointing at him and laughing harder, he started to get genuinely offended.

"You heard us talking about Brant and you thought..."she was laughing so hard she was having trouble getting the words out, "and then you left before..." more laughter and he almost missed her next statement, "you left before you heard what I thought about you being my secret admirer!"

Alright, seriously, if he'd gotten his ass kicked as often tonight as he'd beat himself up mentally, he'd have been too bruised to move. It would have made his cage fight with Maxie look like a couple of love taps. He'd left before she'd take about him, he'd missed it. Which since she'd been kissing him, must mean that he would have liked what he'd have heard. Stupid jealousy, stupid confusion. Stupid stupid Alec for leaving before getting a chance to know what Max really thought of him. And he had too much pride to ask her what she'd said, damn it.

"How did you know it was me?" He muttered irritably when her laughter finally died down.

"It was a lot of little things. I didn't put them together though until now. You found the first of the note cards today and you were the only one to find one by the way. And I knew that whoever had written them knew my schedule almost better than I did. But what convinced me was your expression."

"My expression?" He asked skeptically, because he knew damn good and well he had one hell of a poker face and there was no way his expression had given anything away.

"The expression that you didn't have." She explained. "If it wasn't you, you wouldn't have had to hide what you were feeling. It wouldn't have mattered."

Growling, he knew that she was right. Sometimes showing no emotion at all was as big a giveaway as letting what you were feeling slip though.

Max just rolled her eyes and grinned at him. "So what does this mean anyway? I mean, what do we do now that I know you're behind all this." She was suddenly struck by the thought that maybe this had all just been a big game to him. Or a bet. She could definitely see him doing something like this on a bet or on a dare. "Why'd you do it anyway?"

"Well, I knew that if I just came right out and told you how much your relationship with Logan was hurting Terminal City, you'd have ignored me and kicked my ass. Not that you need a reason with that obsession of yours. And so I thought to myself that maybe showing you that there were other fish in the sea might do the trick." He replied, having no idea that he was breaking Max's heart. So it had been a game, a way to manipulate her into doing what he wanted.

"So it was a con job." She said, fighting to stay calm. "No wonder you were more interested in chatting than kissing." She rose quickly to her feet and moved away from him. "Job well done, I guess. Showed me the error of my ways and all." There was a bite to her words that she couldn't hide, mad that she'd gotten played, hurt that she'd gotten her hopes up only to find none of it had been real.

"It was." He said, sounding pleased with himself. He could read exactly what she was thinking in her eyes. They were so expressive that despite her attempts to hide behind her soldiers mask that he knew the attraction wasn't one sided. He could also tell that she was getting mad so now would be a good time to explain before she flew off the handle and nothing he said would get through to her.

"It was at first, or at least thats what I told myself. I'd always had the hots for you, its not like it'd be torture to have you for a girlfriend, especially if it was good for Terminal City. Then I heard you talking to Gem and CeCe and the way you all sighed over Brant made me want to rearrange his face. I realized I was jealous and after I did some thinking I decided that you were the woman that I wanted to wake up to every morning." He grinned at the expression on her face, ticking time bomb effectively defused.

"So you're saying that you'd be willing to give up the revolving door to your bedroom?" She asked cattily.

"More than willing." He replied in all seriousness.

"Yeah? Why's that?"

"Because I love you. And even Manticore knew that we were perfect for each other."


	6. Intact, what does that even mean?

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement was intended.

AUTHOR'S NOTE 1: I stole an idea without permission from FiveOfFive, who knows how much I love the idea, and I hope she doesn't mind. If it bugs you, just let me know and I'll change it. :)

AUTHOR'S NOTE 2: Special thanks go out to all of my reviewers because after the week I've had I was ready to give up and knowing that you guys thought that I was doing something worthwhile kept me going. If you were wondering why my week was so bad... I was making dinner the other night and managed to cut my hand with a butcher knife. Fun times. Several stitches later (I refused to watch or allow the doctor or my husband to tell me exactly how many, but it was more than five, less than a hundred) and I'm now typing one handed. And on pain killers so if this makes no sense, well there ya go. I've never written anything NC-17 but I might try and do a version of this chapter thats more smutty on my livejournal once I can type with both hands again.

WARNING: The following chapter contains some Logan bashing. I don't like the character, I never have, but some of you do. If my mocking him is likely to offend you, don't read this please, I really don't want to deal with the ensuing flames.

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Since Manticore had been destroyed Alec had come to love waking up in the morning. Before Max had freed him, freed them all, he'd snapped awake everyday, instantly alert and completely aware of his surroundings as the first note of reveille sounded. But now he took his time, it was like coming alive slowly, noticing the light streaming in the window first, then the heavy feeling of having his muscles completely relaxed, relearning his body and surroundings everyday. It was, more than booze, more than women, more than friends, the best part of freedom. Or it was until that morning, when waking up entwined with Max made everything else pale in comparison. He smirked, just a little, thinking to himself, only half in jest, that had they been naked, his life would have been complete.

They'd kissed and caressed the night before but had eventually blown out the candles and made their way back to his apartment where they'd collapsed onto the bed and kissed and caressed some more. But mostly they'd talked. Being from Manitcore gave them a lot of common ground. There were things they understood without words, things that they could relate to in each other on an almost instinctual level but in talking they'd begun to really get to know and understand each other.

Before then Max wouldn't have needed to explain why she hated ice and snow, he knew that she'd escaped in winter and thats when she'd lost the only family and home she'd ever known. But now Alec knew how she'd felt running barefoot towards freedom and the unknown world outside Manticore.

Before they'd talked Max would have guessed that playing the piano was bittersweet but now she knew just how Rachel's smile had made him feel alive and now heavily having her blood on his hands weighed on his heart.

They hadn't told each other everything yet but they'd told each other enough.

Alec was surprised to find that Max was still asleep in his arms. Even as he'd fought to keep his eyes open in the early morning hours, he'd been expecting her to take off as soon as he lost the battle to stay conscious. The fact that she'd not only stayed but had allowed herself to fall deeply asleep, wiped the smirk from his face and dragged a grin of pure joy out to replace it. He settled his head gingerly onto his pillow and relaxed, prepared to enjoy the sight of her sleeping in his arms as long as possible.

It was almost twenty minutes later that she started to stir and Alec realized that he'd probably never get tired of watching her. He felt himself tense minutely, convinced she'd explode as soon as she realized where she was. She froze, eyes still closed, and he tensed even more. But then she smiled, a lighthearted grin of happiness, that made the tension all just melt away. And then she said, "Good morning," in a voice still husky with sleep and he found himself shivering with pleasure.

Her eyes opened and as he watched her wake up fully, he realized he'd never seen her look so happy. He'd put that look there, he thought with a flash of masculine pride. It must have shown on his face because Max was soon rolling her eyes and laughing.

Max knew that if they'd ended up having sex, she probably would have bolted, there would have been plenty of self recrimination and doubt about allowing herself become another notch on his bed post. And if they hadn't talked as long or as honestly as they had, she might have run, doubting her appeal where he was concerned. But they hadn't had sex and they had talked and she couldn't find it in her to doubt him or his feelings for her. Added to that was the best and longest night's sleep she'd had since Mia put the whammy on her and Max was one happy revved up female. Which probably explained why, when she saw him there, cheeks slightly flush from their combined body heat, light brown hair tousled, gazing at her with those sleepy green gold eyes, and felt the need to kiss him, she gave in to it. And why when she felt the need to feel more of his bare flesh pressed against her, she slipped her hands under his shirt and allowed them to glide up over his firm golden chest until she'd slipped the cloth off of him. It was the heat in his gaze the spurred her on, making her pepper kisses down the side of his neck and down his chest. She paused at the waist band of his jeans, looking up at his across the expanse of bare flesh and the wonder in his eyes made her grin wickedly before she bent her head again and undid the button of his jeans with her teeth.

Alec couldn't help but gasp at the sight of Maxie, her head hovering low over his body. A short conversation passed silently between them, him asking her if she was sure with his eyes and her replying that she was with a wink and a grin and then her mouth was on him and all coherent thought was abandoned.

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Three days had passed, and they both thought that the time moved much too quickly when they were lost in each other, but eventually their responsibility to Freak Nation was remembered. The total lack of food in Alec's apartment might have driven the point home but no one else needed to know that. They'd showered and dressed and had headed to command hand in hand.

As far as Max was concerned, she'd be more than happy to start every day the way this one had. Her body was tingling and sated and just a little sore, in a good way, but more importantly, Alec was by her side, and there was a feeling of security inside her that she'd never felt before because of his feelings for her.

As for Alec, he was disappointed. Here he was, walking hand in hand with Max, both of them lit up with the kind of glow that only really mind blowing sex could give, and not one person seemed surprised. First no one suspected him, now no one was surprised that it was him? He let out a small snort of annoyance and it set Max off. Her laughter rang out across the room and seemed to drag smiles out of everyone within hearing distance, even Mole.

"Alec, we both disappeared for three days. The walls of your apartment are about as thick as double ply paper towels. Of course they know it was you and they know exactly how I responded to the news." She told him between giggles and she looked so cute he couldn't seem to stop himself from leaning down to kiss her.

His timing couldn't have been worse because at that exact moment, Logan came striding in to the Command Center, hell bent on getting some answers.

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Logan stalked into the room and he was furious, he'd been trying to get a hold of Max for three days and it seemed like there was a conspiracy to keep him away from her. Well, he wasn't going to let them jerk him around any longer. He had an important mission that he needed her help with and the window of opportunity was closing. He was so focused on the speech that he was mentally preparing that it took a moment for what he was seeing to sink in.

Max, his Max, his in house cat burglar and personal army of one, was kissing Alec, the happy go lucky sociopath that was younger, better looking, and had better hair than him but only because Manticore had played with his DNA. He felt like his heart was breaking.

"Max..." He said in a mournful tone, the kind that was perfectly calculated to induce maximum guilt. "...how could you do this to us? I told you that we would find the cure, that you just had to have faith." He knew it was working when she pulled back from Alec, her dark eyes full of shame. He eagerly accepted, although he hid it behind the facade of a heartbroken man, when she asked him to come into her office to talk in private, convinced that he'd be able to maneuver her into dropping that penniless, culture-less loser like a hot potato.

He felt his anger flare back to life when she gestured for him to lead the way to her office and she didn't follow directly behind him. He turned in time to see her cupping Alec's cheek and whispering softly while gazing into his eyes. Clearing his throat loudly, he fumed silently when she didn't even glance his way and he resisted the urge to tap his foot impatiently. Anger built to fury as Max stayed rooted in place until Alec jerked his head once in a reluctant nod. He hid it well though and she was soon following behind him, allowing him to take the lead again.

He opened the door and allowed her to enter first. When she seated herself behind her desk, he remained standing, keeping his head higher than hers in a classic and calculated move using body language designed to show himself as the superior.

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Staying out of Max's office when she went in to have her private talk with Logan was one of the hardest things Alec had ever done. He had opened himself up to her, heart and soul, sharing his past, his guilt, his triumph and his joy with her and she'd done the same but he'd seen the look of shame on her face when Logan caught them kissing. He knew that the Ordinary held some sort of sway with her. She'd told him about the guilt that she felt over the incident that lead to Logan being shot and a small part of him was afraid that the other man would use that guilt to manipulate Max again and that he would lose her.

Unable to stop himself, he ignored Mole's smirk as he grabbed a file full of reports and took up a position near the stairs in front of Max's office. He wouldn't be able to hear what was said unless voices were raised but he had an undeniable urge to stay close to her.

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Half an hour later Logan came storming out of Max's office, the death glare that he shot Alec's way would have set a lesser man on fire but the transgenic just smirked and ignored him. "Alec," he heard Max call and there was something small and weak sounding about it. He was in her office in a flash. One glance at the way her hands were clasped tightly and resting on her desk and her face, just a little pale and the slightest hint of a tremor running through her and he knew she was beginning a round of seizures. He turned around and poked his head out the door, spotting Mole he caught the big lizard man's eyes and motioned him over.

"I've got a stash of tryptophan in the top right hand drawer of my desk, grab it for me." He ordered tensely when Mole got close enough, speaking softly so that no one else would overhear. The last thing the people of Terminal City needed to see was their leader showing weakness in the middle of a siege, it was bad for morale. Clearly Mole agreed because his only response was a tense nod and he was off to do as he'd been told. Alec wasted no time in getting back to Max's side. He didn't bother to tell her that he'd sent Mole for the medication, he knew that she had heard him.

"What can I do Maxie?" He was asking what comfort he could give, because even with the tryptophan she was in for a rough ride, he wanted to know how he could make the inevitable easier for her.

"Don't leave me?" She asked and it hit him like a sledge hammer. His Maxie was always so strong, so bad ass that this vulnerable, scared Max was freaking him out. He reached out and lift her easily up into his arms, settling himself onto her chair, he cradled her in his lap. He began stroking her hair and murmuring, telling her that he wasn't going anyway where and that he wasn't going to let anything happen to her.

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Three days later, when Max was finally feeling better and had been talked into spending girl time with OC, Gem, and CeCe, Alec finally got the chance to go have a "talk" with Logan. During the course of Max's seizures, she'd let slip a few of the details of her break up with Logan and what he'd heard, he hadn't liked. Turns out that Logan really was a spoiled rich boy at heart and when it became clear that he wasn't going to win Max back, he did his best to tear her down. He'd shown his true colors when he told her that Alec was welcome to her, that he didn't want to have to coddle a broken toy like her any longer and that she'd outlived her usefulness to him.

Alec was good at pretending to be a normal guy but all the pretending in the world couldn't erase the fact that he had been a soldier since birth and had been trained in the fine art of assassination. And it wasn't Alec the happy go lucky sociopath that was creeping into Joshua's house to confront Roller Boy, it was the trained, remorseless killer that Manticore had created.

He found the human asleep at his computer and had to fight the urge to end him then and there. He wanted to, badly, but he wasn't going to give Max an excuse to push him away. Not when a few threats would work as well as a quick bullet.

He pulled his gun out in one smooth move and placed it to the back of Logan's head. Too bad it was a wasted effort, Loggie slept right through it. Alec stood there for a moment, debating his options and finally, spun Logan's chair around. He pulled another chair in and settle down to wait.

When the other man began to stir a few hours later, Alec ejected the clip from his gun and thumbed the bullets out quickly, making a show of pushing them back into place for Logan's benefit. He took his time, never even looked at the other man, making it clear that as far as he was concerned Logan wasn't a threat to him, exoskeleton or not.

Logan opened his mouth and began to speak heatedly, indignant over the fact that Alec had broken into his home. His chastisements ground to a halt when the transgenic looked at him though. There was something about the other man's eyes that scared the hell out of him. He didn't know how he would have described it if someone had asked him, which was odd because Logan Cale had never been at a loss for words before. The other man's eyes were cold, but that wasn't was was instilling the fear, it wasn't the emptiness either.

Logan was suddenly reminded of a jungle cat. There was something primal in the look. It was the look of a predator that knew that it could kill its prey with easy. He'd attack or not, depending on Logan's reactions, he didn't care either way. The only hope that Logan had was that he'd keep him pacified enough to prevent him from deeming the expenditure of energy worthwhile.

"What are you doing here Alec?" He asked abruptly. "Does Max know that you're here?" He knew bringing Max into it was a bad idea the second he said it, the coldness and emptiness drained from Alec's eyes and they were suddenly flooded with rage.

"You said some things, Logan, when you talked to Max." He began, pushing the last bullet into place.

His quiet tone immediately set Logan on the defensive, all thoughts of keeping Alec pacified were forgotten in the wake of the indignation he felt. "What, did poor little Maxie have to run to you and tattle on me because she was too afraid to match wits with me herself. Asha told me all about the conversation the two of you had, its not like you don't think she's a broken toy too." The sound of the clip sliding home into the gun was enough to knock some sense back into him.

"Oh, thats not the part that I object too Logan. I'm a broken toy too. We all are, everyone that Manticore ever created is broken, but in Terminal City, at least we're broken together. No, what I object to Logan, is the fact that you deliberately set out to hurt one of mine. Max is mine. Actually, Max is ours, Max belongs to us, with us, in Terminal City and we belong to her and when you set out to hurt one of ours, we tend to want to hurt you back. You're lucky really, that I won the coin toss. I'll just shoot you after all, Joshua would have bent you in half. Mole voted to string you up like a pinata and charge a couple bucks for a turn whacking you with a stick." Alec grinned at Logan and there was nothing humorous about the expression at all, "I almost let Mole win when I heard that you know?" He told the older man conspiratorially, "Cuz it just sounded like so damn much fun."

There was nothing Logan could do but sputter at that point. He'd never best Alec in a fight, his gun was too far away, he'd never reach it in time. The very idea that he might die at the hands of this less than human screw up was enough to disgust him. "Max will never forgive you if you hurt me." He said in desperation.

"Come on Wheels, if Max cared, she wouldn't have told me what was said. She knew what would happen if I found out the details of your conversation. But you're right, I'm not going to kill you today."

Logan grinned in relief, all he needed was to walk away from this encounter alive and he could work out a plan to make the X5 pay.

"But alive and intact are two different things." Alec continued and found himself thanking Manticore for the ability to hide his emotions because the way the other man paled and started quaking was almost too funny for words. He lifted his arm, training the gun on Logan and then dialed his cell phone with the other hand. "Its time, do it."

The door opened and Dix, Luke, and a couple other members of the Terminal City tech team hurried in. Logan was moved unceremoniously out of the way and they set to work. They broke though all of his file encryptions and protection programs within minutes. Anything and everything connected to Manticore, Terminal City, White, the Breeding Cult, Max, or just happened to look interesting was downloaded onto a thumb drive and wiped clean from the system. Every piece of paper, every file, every book was methodically gone over with a fine tooth comb as well, pertinent items boxed up and ready to take back to TC. Within an hour they had it all, every scrap of intel Logan had gather over the years and everyone but Luke and Alec left to return home.

That was when Luke took a small black box out of his coat pocket and Logan paled further at the sight of it. A powerful electro magnet, it let out a deep thrumming noise when it was turned on and Logan began to cry. His computer system, every electronic devise in the house, had just been wiped out in his very own mini pulse.

"When I said intact, I never said you were the thing I intended to take apart. Be very careful Roller Boy. This was me on my best behavior. You really don't want to make me angry." Alec said over his shoulder as he and Luke headed for the door.

Logan remained seated long after they'd left, trying to wrap his head around the fact that he, Logan Cale, had lost the girl and his life's work in one fell swoop.

**THE END**

For now anyway. I've got an idea for a sequel but I don't know if it'll get written or not.


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